God builds on our RESPONSES

Last night I was awokened by the sounds of thunders and heavy rain and in between the state of sleeping and consciously awake, there were many thoughts and impressions that went through my mind. Some of those thoughts/impressions relate to my own personal things and there's one particular subject that prompts me to share in this post.

A few months ago, I was sent a link to a series of meetings conducted in the US by a missionary couple whom my wife and myself got to know through one of the previous churches we were serving and worshipping in. With the so many 'flaky' ministries coming forth from the West, we can be rest assured that the messages that are spoken in this series of meetings are both prophetically timely and grounded in the Word of God. This is a ministry which was born in a genuine revival in the South America, been taught the ways of God and having the privilege to behold the mysteries of the heavenlies.

One of the main 'rhema' that I received after viewing the series of meetings is this: "God builds on our RESPONSES and NOT our REACTIONS". It's a powerful statement indeed.

What is the difference between our REACTIONS and our RESPONSES?
We react when we experience some sensations or feelings. For example, should our finger be caught in an electrical point and our whole body feels the effect of being 'electrocuted' we would react wildly by screaming and our bodies would be jerking or shaking violently. It would be very unlikely for us to remain silent, unmoved in our physical bodies and somewhat enjoy the feeling of being 'electrocuted'. Similarly, when the power of God or His Presence surges through our physical body, our physical bodies would either "fall under the power" or "jerk" or "shake" or exhibit different kinds of physical manifestations as a natural reaction to the power of God or His Presence. This is very normal indeed even though there are still people who are not accustomed to such manifestations in a church setting. But, that is for another day's posting :)

When God's power or His Presence is manifested and we experience the reality of it, our natural bodies react to it. Along with our reactions, many things take place as well. For example, bondages are broken, spiritual gifts are activated, spiritual senses are sharpened, deliverance takes place, healings, etc. and the list goes on. In other words, we can witness the fruits in our lives after encountering His Presence/Power in varying degrees. We can loosely say that the physical manifestations are our reactions (the side effects) and the fruits are the main effects.
However, we shouldn't stop there and wait for the next church meeting or another God encounter.

God builds on our RESPONSES
Each time we experience God's Presence/Power, a response from us is expected. How do we respond? As seen above, our reactions are the physical manifestations. But, we respond differently. We respond through our worship, our declarations of love, our obedience to certain specific instructions, etc. We may not be able to control our reactions but we can choose to respond to God. We can yield and surrender in greater degree to Him. Repentance can also be a response from our heart. Or sometimes, our faith declarations can be a response to Him.

And finally, the beautiful thing is God BUILDS on our responses. If we desire to go deeper and higher in God, each time we experience His Presence/Power we respond with our heart (in whatever way as the Spirit of God leads) to Him. Each time we respond, God visits us in greater measure and we experience deeper intimacy with Him. That is why we call our faith a "relationship", a "walk with God", a "communion". That is the reason Jesus came to die for our sins. So that we can be invited into the inner circle of union and communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It's a two-way communication. Let's allow God to build on our responses.